14 A YEAR WITH NATURE. 



The visitor to Tring who perchance may spend an hour or 

 so among the inhabitants of the Zoo, or the Collection of Birds, 

 Beasts, Fish and Insects in the Museum, cannot fail to admire 

 the way in which everything is carried out and conducted, and 

 the owner has apparently taken for his motto * If anything 

 is worth doing, it is worth doing well.' And of the genial 

 owner himself it is barely sufficient to say that he is courteous, 

 willing, kind, charitable and the very type of an English 

 gentleman. I shall never forget the hearty hand-shake, the 

 entire absence of affectation, and the goodness of my illustrious 

 host. Small wonder is it to me that the name of Rothschild is 

 known and admired throughout the world, and we should 

 indeed be proud of a family which is such a credit and support 

 to the British Empire. 



Mr. Walter Rothschild has gathered together at Tring a 

 collection of Natural History objects, which, in the future, will 

 no doubt increase in value and appreciation, and every lover 

 of Wild Life is indebted to this member of a great and noble 

 family for devoting a fortune, and a lifetime, to such a pure and 

 sensible hobby, not only to please his own tastes, but for the 

 benefit of the Scientific World, and Natural History lovers and 

 students generally. 



To my esteemed friend Ernst Hartert the Curator of the 

 Museum due credit must also be given for his directorship 

 and management, and nothing that he can do to aid the lover 

 of Natural History is too much for him. 



The mass of information at his, and Mr. Rothschild's, 

 command, is wonderful, and every specimen in the collection 

 appears to bring back to mind some interesting narrative or 

 coincidence, which is narrated in a most charming manner to 

 the visitor. 



We at once made our way to the ground floor of the Museum, 

 being joined in our delightful excursions by a very handsome 

 St. Bernard dog, who seemed to evince considerable interest in 

 our manoeuvres and did not leave us for the hour we were 

 together. 



It was essential that we should have a little more light in the 

 building, and the pressing of a button near the doorway lit 

 up the place instantaneously with the electric light, and this 



